Some Useful Advice for Our Candidates

We are committed to helping our candidates during their job search at every step along the way; from preparation to relocation. We’ve added this section to our website to help you position yourself for that ideal position. Please read the job tips and advice below.

Before you begin your search, take a step back and try to establish some specific career objectives. Performing a brief self-assessment can help you explore and prepare for your job search.

Here are some tips and advice for your consideration:

Self-Assessment

Personality – Understand your personality and the types of companies that would suit your style and demeanor. What about you would make you a good fit at a smaller, privately held company vs. a large corporation or vice versa?

Skills/Abilities – Think through your personal skills and abilities; and compare those to others you know in similar positions. Review your strengths in terms of hard skills and soft skills.

Aptitude – Are you someone who is committed to a life-long journey of learning or someone who prefers to learn by doing? What have you done in the past to demonstrate that viewpoint?

Interests – What types of assignments or responsibilities are most preferred; which are least desirable?

Values – Many companies have internal value structures, some are more pronounced in their enforcement and adherence, and others have little to no value structure to the organization.

Career Exploration

Career Types – What type of change are you looking for in your next career move? Are you looking to take your passion for mentoring to the next step and move into a management role? Do you want to move to a company where you’re more likely to affect change? Do you want a chance to be exposed to the newest technology than your current employer offers?

Channels – Does your experience in the electrical industry open you up to opportunities on the “other side of the aisle?” If you’re currently working at a rep firm but have always been interested in working for a manufacturer, you’ll want to make a targeted approach to your job search.

Geographic Locations – Is relocation an option? Are there specific areas you would be open to relocating to? Relocation preferences will significantly affect the range of opportunities available and having a clear view of what that is ahead of time will put you ahead of the game.

There a number of tools that you’ll need at your disposal. Some of the most important ones that you’ll need include:

Resume/CV – An essential tool for you to summarize your backgrounds and skills. Your resume should be in reverse chronological order (most recent first), with dates of employment, a description of your employer company, a definition of your title, your responsibilities and specific accomplishments against those responsibilities. Resumes should be no longer than three pages and be written in a style to increase keyword search strength.

Social Media – Many employers will search your name. Make sure you have “cleaned up” any offensive and/or questionable content on any publicly-accessible social media site, such as Facebook, Google+ or Twitter. Additionally, spend some time cleaning up your LinkedIn profile should you have one. Make sure it is consistent and complete. If you don’t have a LinkedIn profile, create one. Make sure to add a profile photo that is current and professional.

References and Recommendations – Summarize any references ahead of time. Ask trusted colleagues and coworkers if you can use them as a reference. Be discreet and only use people that you can trust. Also, ask former supervisors and colleagues on LinkedIn to write a recommendation about you or endorse specific skills sets. Learn to use social media to your advantage to further your career.

The job interview is one of the most important things that you can prepare for during your job search.

That’s why we prepared a comprehensive article filled with interview advice, to help you prepare. Plus, since more and more initial interviews are being handled over the phone or video conferencing, we’ve also added prepared a list of pointers for Skype Interviews.Article: Get Interview Tips.Skype Interviews.

If you’ve just landed a new job, perhaps that position requires you to relocate from your current place of residence. If this is the case, we hope you find our relocation advice section useful. It includes tips and other resources that should ease the pain associated with picking up and relocating to a new area.Get Relocation Advice & Tips

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ABOUT EGRET CONSULTING

Egret Consulting is an established and well-respected recruiting firm for the electrical manufacturing and distribution industries. We serve clients in the global electrical industry, including SSL Lighting, lighting design, electrical distribution, wire & cable, power distribution and renewable energy.